I am having to build a polyethylene sphere, actually a helium balloon. The sphere is going to be approximately 4 meters in diameter.
Since I am getting a flat roll of polyethylene sheet, i was wondering if solidworks has the ability to export possible number of flat pieces that make up a sphere or closely one.
I would be grateful for the help or suggestion of any other engineering tools. Thank you.
SolidWorks will not calculate the two-way stretch involved in flattening a spherical (multi curved) segment, but if you can live with flatted (single curved) segments, you can easily approximate the number of panels involved by dividing the circumference of the sphere by the poly sheet width. Make sure to allow sufficient material for the seams.